Running head: PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology Paper

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PSYCHOLOGY 2

Group Behavior

Group practice is the identified fundamental concept in the field of psychology. It refers

to the number of ways that people behave while in either large or small group situations (Hogg &

Terry, 2014). There are quite many reasons why people engage themselves in groups with the

main reason being to satisfy one's individual needs. Notable advantages of engaging oneself in a

group exist such as getting companionship, power, and control, feeling of survival and security,

achievement, among others. Currently, there is no universal description of a group’s

components; however, there are a few standard requirements that could contribute to the

recognition of a particular group (Hogg & Terry, 2014). The first requirement is to social

interaction, interdependence, a perception of the group, members having a common goal, and

favoritism.

Several types of primary sources could be used to understand a history of the group

behavior concept. The first primary source could be dissertations or theses that contain detailed

research on the area, but the research is yet to be published. Dissertations address specific

research questions hence could offer information on specific aspects such as how the theory

came into being, and how important the approach is relevant.

The other type of primary resource is unpublished articles that have credible information

in them. The articles could contain information about aspects of social psychology such as group

behavior and how it influences individual behavior. Group action could affect individual

behavior positively or negatively, and hence, a study of the articles provides the researcher with

information on a positive and negative aspect of group behavior.

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Conducting rigorous historical research involves more than reading historical documents,

taking notes, and organizing those notes (Bar-Tal, 2012). Apart from reading and taking notes,

interpretation of the findings has to be held in a process known as data analysis so that every

detail is explained clearly. Moreover, data analysis offers a chance for the researcher to give

his/her opinions on the findings and could recommend for further research.

For example, dissertations provide unpublished information that has been thoroughly

researched on through satisfying the research objectives. Hence, there is no way that the

researcher only read and took and notes as the only way of conducting the rigorous historical

research. Information obtained from personal diaries has to be properly synthesized and

interpreted to extract meaning, which necessitates the researcher to do more than just taking

notes, and organizing them.

PSYCHOLOGY 4

References

Hogg, M. A., & Terry, D. J. (Eds.). (2014). Social identity processes in organizational contexts.

Psychology Press.

Bar-Tal, D. (2012). Group beliefs: A conception for analyzing group structure, processes, and

behavior. Springer Science & Business Media.